Anyone with a passing interest in building and/or upgrading computers will be aware of how expensive memory has become, especially RAM (Random Access Memory). The rush to buy up these components for use in generative artificial intelligence has driven up prices for everyone, with several components now hundreds of dollars more expensive than they were in 2025.
By mid-2025, two sticks of DDR4-3000 16GB RAM would have cost you less than $150. Now the same two sticks cost around $280. As you can imagine, the price continues to rise as the amount of memory does.
Java mode
The market has gotten so bleak that one Reddit user traveled to his local junkyard to look for hardware (good place, PC gamers). During their recent trip, they discovered a veritable treasure trove of mid-range hardware, including two sticks of DDR4 32GB RAM.
According to PC Part Picker, a pair of 32GB RAM sticks can run you over $500 in the current, RAM-starved market. As one commenter points out, “64GB RAM, time to retire.”
Our modern scavenger also found “a really nice Samsung screen, a brand new 5.25 floppy drive […] a Drobo Bay 5 NAS [network storage]a 10th gen i7 with a CoolerMaster cooler, a decent little ASUS motherboard and some other odds and ends.”
There are always failed startups and downsizing conglomerates willing to dump expensive hardware, so checking the local dump every once in a while might not be the worst idea if you have access, especially if you're in an area full of tech companies. But many places will just melt down components before letting anyone in to take a look.
A stick of RAM now costs more than an entire PlayStation 5
AI companies are hoarding storage and memory.
The comments section shows other searchers who discovered expensive finds at recycling centers, like an RTX 2070 and 128GB of RAM scattered across various sticks.
Unfortunately for the rest of us who don't have the talent, access or time to cosplay a Jawa, the market shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
It is not just the consumer who is facing the consequences of a gen AI boom, but console makers such as Sony, Nintendo and Xbox are all grappling with rising production costs for their hardware.
Steam has yet to announce the price of the upcoming Steam Machine due to the high prices in the current memory market.
- Date founded
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April 1, 1993
- CEO
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Jensen Huang
- Subsidiary
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Mellanox Technologies, Cumulus Networks, NVIDIA Advanced Rendering Center
- Head office
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Santa Clara, California, USA
